Inspired by mindy, p.1
Inspired by Mindy, page 1
Inspired by Mindy
A Sweet Romantic Comedy
Remi Carrington
Inspired by Mindy
A great new job, a gorgeous new place to live, and the most frustrating landlord in the world. I guess I can’t have everything I want.
The Cowboy Chef has a reputation as a heartbreaker, but that doesn’t stop my heart from going pitter-patter whenever he’s around. It’s not because I’m over forty and single. There are other reasons.
But I’m not going to risk opening my heart to man with his reputation. Any man for that matter.
Then I end up living across the driveway from him, and he calls a truce. Being nice to each other only makes my heart-thumping worse.
He oozes charm like the sun gives off heat. But it’s clear he’s not interested.
When we’re stranded in a freak snowstorm, I snap and unleash a heap of brutal honesty.
His response catches me completely off guard. What do I do now?
Copyright ©2022 Pamela Humphrey
All Rights Reserved
Phrey Press
www.phreypress.com
www.remicarrington.com
First Edition
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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ISBN-13: 978-1-947685-64-2
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
Bonus Epilogue
A Note to Readers
Also by Remi Carrington
About the Author
Chapter 1
Mindy
Everything needed to be perfect.
Tapping my clipboard, I walked to the entrance of the venue. Getting the same view as the attendees would help me see if anything needed to be changed. Even though my new boss was out of town, word would get back to her, and I wanted her to hear how well the event had gone and that I was an asset.
After accepting the job, I’d done my research and found nothing but good things written about the people who owned the place and worked here, except for one person. The guy who often catered events—people called him the Cowboy Chef—had a reputation. I’d have to watch out for him, but based on the rants I’d read, I was a little old for him. Not that he was young. He just dated young’uns.
Running my finger down the page, I walked as I scanned my checklist, making sure it all looked amazing and seeing what still needed to be done. Every box had a check mark in it.
The welcome sign near the entrance matched the name on the paperwork, but the grass was just tall enough that it brushed the bottom. The sign would stand out better if weeds weren’t growing in front of it. I yanked on one of the offending plants, but it didn’t want to come out of the ground.
I ran back to my office, rummaged through my desk, and grabbed the scissors. There was more than one way to take care of a problem.
On my hands and knees, I snipped the grass or weeds or whatever they were, cropping them close to the ground. Now, nothing blocked the sign.
As I stood and dusted off my knees, I shook my head. Trimming grass with scissors was a bit excessive, but attention to detail and overthinking were my specialties.
Once the scissors were safely back in my drawer, I continued my walkthrough. I looked into the gathering rooms and strolled past the food table. The caterer hadn’t yet arrived, but Ava had said he was on his way.
The Christmas lights were draped in trees and along the fences, and they twinkled. That tree on the far right bugged me. Whoever had done the lights had bunched the strands together in one place. It detracted from the full effect of the holiday lights.
I hurried back into the building where the offices were. “Ava, do we have a ladder around here?”
“If I tell you where to find the ladder, you must keep the location a secret.” Ava pointed at me, reminding me of my second-grade teacher who’d liked to use chalk as her pointer of choice.
“Do you have a problem with ladders being stolen in these parts?” I made sure Ava understood the humor in my question. The venue wasn’t close to much. The nearest town wasn’t very big, and there were more cows than people within a two-mile radius. Theft probably wasn’t much of an issue here.
She shook her head. “Not theft. Men. Beau fell off and broke his leg. Clint nearly stranded himself on top of a barn, and . . .” Her smile widened. “Mad Dog used it to come after me. They are convinced that it’s their lucky ladder. I keep it hidden so no one else gets hurt, and I finally found a new hiding spot.” She peeked out the door like we were on a spy mission, then motioned for me to follow her.
We walked around the back of a building, Ava looking over her shoulder multiple times as we went. Then she opened a barely noticeable door. “There you go. Just put it back when you’re finished. And if anyone ever needs it, get it for them. Don’t tell them where it is.”
“All right.” Biting back a grin, I carried the ladder to the tree and climbed up. A lucky ladder. That was funny.
Adjusting the lights shouldn’t take too long, but I had to be careful because I wasn’t dressed for this type of work. Not that it had stopped me from kneeling in the grass.
I inched out onto the branch, trying not to snag my slacks.
The strands were wrapped tight, and repositioning them took work. I shifted each strand bit by bit, adjusting the distance between them. What should’ve been quick work took longer than I anticipated.
A truck door slammed, and I peeked through the branches. The tall, well-built man striding this direction had to be the caterer. When I’d researched, several pictures of him had popped up. None of them had done him justice.
From my hidden vantage point, I stared. He didn’t look like he was in his mid-fifties. His dark hair had very little gray, and there were noticeable muscles on his arms. The jeans and boots were a nice addition.
His deep olive complexion added to his good looks, and it was easy to see why women fell all over themselves around him. But I would not be one to join the ranks of those who giggled and fawned to win his attention.
He strode to the base of my tree, and I held my breath, not ready to talk to him. When we did meet, I wanted it to be face-to-face and professional.
Then that heartbreaker chef carried away my ladder.
Who would walk off with a ladder and leave someone stranded? Ugh. He leaned it against a post on the arbor covering the food table, lifted a string of lights out of a box, and started climbing, not caring that he’d left me trapped.
After a huff, I shouted at him. “Hey! Bring that back.”
His head swung around, and his brow furrowed. Haltingly, he backed down the ladder. “Hello?”
“Put the ladder back. What part of that is hard to understand?”
His lips quirked into a smirk, and he strode toward the tree, but he’d left behind the one thing I wanted.
Readjusting, I slipped and then wrapped my arms around the branch, getting poked by little lights. “Are you trying to land me in the hospital?”
He looked up at me, and that smirk transformed into a full grin. “Need help getting down? I can catch you.” He held out his arms and danced his eyebrows.
The nerve of this man.
“No, I don’t want you to catch me. I want you to put the ladder back.” I didn’t even attempt to maintain a polite tone.
“What are you doing up there?”
“Spacing the strands of lights.” I sighed. “Will you please get the ladder?”
“Sorry, yeah. I didn’t see you in the tree.” He carried it over and leaned it against the trunk. “You can come down now. I’ll hold it while you do.”
“Just back away. I got up here without anyone holding it. I should be fine getting down without help.”
He was the one person whose help I especially didn’t need. I didn’t want to encourage him in any way.
I climbed down without problems until the third rung from the bottom. He was too far away to be blamed for shaking the ladder, but something shifted, and as my foot slipped, I braced for a hard collision with the ground.
Arms wrapped around my waist, and a very firm chest pressed to my back. He set me on the ground but didn t let go. “Hello. I’m Jeffrey.”
I whipped around and pushed away from him. If I stayed in his arms any longer, my knees would melt, and I’d agree to anything. “I know who you are.” Reminding myself of all that I’d read about him, I pictured him with a short, curvy twenty-something on his arm.
His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
Ava waved as she hurried toward us. “Oh good, I caught you both together. Jeffrey, this is Mindy. She’s the new event coordinator. You’ll be working with her most of the time from now on.”
“Fabulous.” He smiled, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes.
Ava looked at me. “This is Jeffrey, the Cowboy Chef. He does a lot of the catering out here.”
I made a show of looking him over. Normally, I was much more polite, but I needed this man to stay far away from me. “Your reputation precedes you.”
His lips pinched, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Ouch.”
Clearly, he knew what I meant. As long as we had a good understanding, working together wouldn’t be a problem.
Chapter 2
Jeffrey
I flipped over a card and laid it on the table, enjoying a rare poker night. These didn’t happen often, at least not with these guys. Because of Mad Dog, I was now included in the poker night gatherings and had gained friends. It was a nice change from life before. Hanging out with people my age had its advantages.
Occasionally, I sat in on a game with the ranch hands, but being around those guys made me feel old.
Mad Dog shifted cards around in his hand. “Did you meet the event coordinator?”
All eyes at the table focused on me. The other three were married, and there was no question who Mad Dog meant even though he hadn’t looked up from his cards.
“You know I did.” And I’d been thinking about Mindy since, but I wasn’t going to share that tidbit with anyone.
Clint grinned. “And?”
“She told me that my reputation preceded me.” I had no qualms sharing that with these guys. They knew enough about the old me to know what she’d meant, but they also knew how I behaved now.
Clint shook his head. “Ouch.”
“That’s what I said.” I laughed, trying to cover the sting of her comment. Changing my behavior hadn’t made people forget my previous actions. Nor did it erase things from the internet.
Mindy had formed her opinion from what others had said before she’d even met me. It bothered me, but I should’ve been used to it by now.
“Maybe she’ll change her mind once she gets to know you. It worked for me with Lilith.” Beau tossed a chip into the pile in the center.
“Nice thought, but Mindy seems a bit young for me.” I appreciated having friends who motivated me to be better. Seeing the love they’d found kept me hopeful I hadn’t forever missed the opportunity to share my life. I had at least a few decades left.
“You definitely shouldn’t ask her how old she is.” Clint slid a stack of chips to the center. “Raising twenty.”
I groaned and laid my cards faced down on the table. “Fold. And thanks for the great advice.”
The door to the game room swung open, and Ava carried in a tray. “Nachos are ready. I’ll leave these right here.” She kissed Mad Dog on the cheek, then grinned. “Oh, my! That’s quite a hand.” After another quick kiss, she patted his shoulder. “I’m headed home. Call if you need anything.”
Mad Dog had an amazing poker face for someone who’d been a pastor. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Laughing, she slipped out of the room.
Beau sighed. “She does that just to annoy me, and I hate it because I don’t know if she’s being serious or sarcastic.” He looked at Clint. “What do you think?”
“I think I’m not going to give you any information because I prefer to win. It’s getting close to Christmas, and I want to surprise Joji. Y’all are going to help me do that.”
I grabbed a plate of food and sat back from the table. “By losing big all night?”
He pointed at me. “Bingo.”
Beau tilted his head as he looked at his cards. “You buying her more goats?”
“Or another llama?” Mad Dog stared at Beau. “Any day now would be good.”
He added two chips to the pot.
Clint raised again. “I’m buying us tickets to Paris, but I’m doing it on my dime. I want her to show me that little café.”
The guys stared, stunned by the answer.
I wasn’t. Clint would do anything for Joji. I’d nearly found that out the hard way when I tried to ask her out. My one attempt at dating someone closer to my own age hadn’t gone well at all. No regrets. They loved each other, and everyone in the state probably knew that by now.
“Guys, I’m going to take off. Thanks for inviting me.” I fished keys out of my pocket.
After everyone said their goodbyes, Mad Dog stood and extended his hand for a shake. “Ava said not to give up.”
That comment answered a question I’d been noodling all day. Had Ava heard Mindy’s comment? Ava had started to walk away and hadn’t given any reaction, so I wasn’t sure. Now I knew she had.
Reminding myself they were trying to be encouraging and helpful, I smiled. “Thanks.”
My exchange with Mindy stung for multiple reasons. Not only had she judged me based on my prior actions, but I’d slipped so naturally into flirting with her even before getting a glimpse of her face. And that only confirmed to her that I hadn’t changed at all.
But I had changed, and it had taken self-discipline and dedication. Even though those big blue eyes captivated me, I intended to stick to the promise I’d made to myself.
My integrity meant more than a pretty face and a nice evening.
But it would be easier to keep my promise without that pretty face in my thoughts every other second.
Working with her would be a problem.
Chapter 3
Mindy
This was supposed to be my golden hour, my opportunity to show my new boss what a great fit I was for the new job. But instead, I was cursing at brake lights. My Monday was off to a horrible start. It was the worst possible day for there to be an accident on the interstate.
Lilith, my boss, had gotten home from her delayed honeymoon trip, and the event I’d helped with when she was away had gone smoothly. But I’d only helped with those. Today’s event was the first one I was running.
I slammed my steering wheel, avoiding the horn because that would only irritate already frustrated people. I had to let Lilith know I’d be late.
Resigned to the embarrassment and possible fallout of telling my boss I wouldn’t make it to the venue on time, I called her.
After two rings, Lilith’s chipper greeting echoed through my car speakers. “Hello, Mindy. Everything okay?”
I swallowed, determined to keep the emotion out of my voice. Showing weakness was not going to endear me to my boss. To anyone. “I’m so sorry. It’s taken me over an hour to inch along the last five miles. There must be an accident on the highway.”
“But you’re okay?” As she asked the question, a bull wandered along the median and stopped to eat grass not far from my car. Thanks goodness I’d chosen blue. I felt bad for all the people in red cars.
Now I knew why traffic was snarled, but I wasn’t any less irritated. Hollering at the bull would only get my car bashed, so I didn’t roll down the window and give the beast a piece of my mind.
“Mindy?” Lilith sounded genuinely concerned.
“Sorry. I’m fine. Just very irritated.” I’m not sure she’d believe me if I told her what was happening.
